Leeds United suffer a major setback in their pursuit of Ecuador international Gonzalo Plata from Sporting Lisbon. According to the newspaper O Jogo, the transfer is now complicated after the winger suffered a major ankle injury during the international break which is set to leave him out for around 8 weeks.
The 21-year-old is being tracked by Victor Orta as the club sees him as a potential Raphinha replacement who also plied his trade for Sporting Lisbon before moving to the Premier League. It turns out that now Sporting have to worry about selling the Ecuadorian who played for Real Vallodolid last season on loan. The Spanish club wanted to sign the player on a permanent basis but are unwilling to meet Sporting’s 10 million euro valuation to sign the youngster.
Sporting only owns 50% of the Ecuadorian’s sale rights, which is why they are unwilling to provide large discounts for his move. However, given that they appear to be willing to let him go, perhaps this injury will persuade them to make the move simpler.
Author’s Verdict
Leeds United seem to be prepared to let their star winger Raphinha leave this season and the proactive approach to finding a suitable replacement seems to be the right choice by the club hierarchy. Gonzalo Plata has been followed for some time now and if the club feel he is the man to replace their best player, then a 10 million euro price tag seems to be a huge bargain in the current market scenario. There are alternate targets the club are pursuing in case a deal with Sporting falls through with Noa Lang a name going around the rumour mill. Time will tell who will be the heir to Raphinha at Elland Road…
